Various chemical compositions (materials) can be administered to vegetation, such as a lawn or garden, for proper care. These chemical compositions can include fertilizers, weed killers, anti-fungal agents and the like and can be administered in liquid or solid form.
One widely used method for administering solid compositions to a lawn is by means of a spreader device that includes a wheeled bin into which the composition is loaded. The bin generally has sloped sides with an outlet along the length of its bottom. As the bin is pushed across the lawn, the wheels rotate a feeder which is above the outlet along its length. The feeder carries the composition to the outlet from which it falls by gravity onto the lawn.
Uneven distribution of the composition is a common occurrence when using the wheeled bin spreader device. In many instances, undesirably large amounts of the composition are administered at locations where the device is stopped or must be turned. This can result in killing the grass at that location. Working with solid compositions may also be less than desirable because of the dust it creates and possible breathing hazards.
A common way of administering a composition in a liquid form is by combining it with the water stream used for watering the vegetation. For example, devices have been developed that can be operatively connected at a hose outlet so that the water flowing from the hose entrains appropriate small amounts of a composition provided in either liquid or solid form contained in the device. While this method is fairly convenient, spraying the material with a hose inherently results in less uniform distribution than desired.
Many lawns are presently provided with a permanent sprinkler system. The system consists of a main conduit which branches off into a plurality of lines, each of which includes a stop valve (either automatic or manual) and an anti-siphon valve. Each such stop valve/anti-siphon valve combination feeds 4 to 6 sprinkler heads which are placed uniformly about the area to be watered.
There is a need for a device which can either be easily and economically combined with an already existing permanently installed sprinkler system or which can be incorporated into a newly installed sprinkler system for providing uniform distribution of a chemical composition to an area to be watered.